Danger, Will Robinson! Netflix's Lost in Space TV series has cast its Dr. Smith

Netflix’s upcoming Lost in Space TV series has finally found its Dr. Smith, but there’s a tiny little catch: they've pulled a gender swap.

Actress Parker Posey (Superman Returns) has been cast in the role of the duplicitous Dr. Smith in the remake of Irwin Allen’s 1965 classic series. The role of Dr. Zachary Smith was previously brought to life by Jonathan Harris in the original series and by Gary Oldman in the 1998 movie. There’s no news as to the first name Parker Posey's Dr. Smith will have, but it's possible they'll go with a female-sounding variation of the character's original name. Or not.

The Legendary TV series follows the Robinsons, who are forced to come together when they find themselves stranded light-years away from their intended destination. They have to battle not only their new alien surroundings but also their personal demons. The original series was set 30 years in the future (in 1997) and revolved around an attempt by the U.S. to colonize deep space by sending one single family on a five-and-a-half year journey to another planet. That is, until enemy agent Dr. Zachary Smith sabotages the mission, causing the ship to veer off course and essentially becoming lost in space. Oops!

Netflix’s upcoming Lost in Space remake is the brainchild of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold, Last Witch Hunter) and stars Toby Stephens (Black Sails) as astrophysicist and family patriarch John Robinson, Molly Parker (Deadwood) as his wife and brilliant aerospace engineer Maureen Robinson, Taylor Russell (Falling Skies) as Judy Robinson and Max Jenkins (Sense8) as Will Robinson. Zack Estrin (Prison Break) will serve as showrunner for the 10-episode TV series, set for a 2018 premiere.

What do you think of the casting of Parker Posey as Dr. Smith? What do you think of the gender swap?